An Amazing Rescue by Chloe Ryder Page B

ripped in two. Suddenly she craved the safety of her family, but then again how could she leave Stardust and Chevalia when they needed her help more than ever? The seconds ticked by. Wordlessly Peggy glided in huge circles over the Plateau.
    ‘I made a promise to find the missing horseshoes,’ said Pippa finally. ‘I’m not going home until I do.’
    Peggy flapped her wings in double-time.
    ‘Pippa MacDonald, you are a true pony lover and a very special friend of Chevalia,’ she snorted.

Chapter 2
     
    Peggy flew over the island again, swooping even lower to help Pippa search for the missing horseshoes.
    Keeping her eyes fixed on the passing landscape, Pippa asked her, ‘Why do you never land? Don’t you get tired, staying in the air for so long?’
    ‘I never used to get tired,’ said Peggy, ‘though recently my wings have been aching at night. But I can’t land. The magic that lets me fly will vanish if I do and I’ll become an ordinary pony.’
    ‘You’ll never be ordinary,’ said Pippa.
    Peggy’s laughter sounded like music.
    ‘A very long time ago, when Chevalia was just a small volcanic island, I was an ordinary pony. I was lucky enough to make a very special friend, a scientist-magician called Nightingale. This pony had amazing powers and a brilliant mind. She discovered the magical gold buried in the volcanic rock. Nightingale realised the potential of that special gold and she had it mounted on the Volcano. Over time the island grew larger and more magical, until it finally blossomed into the Chevalia that we know and love today. Nightingale had created a paradise, but that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to share it with ponies from around the world.’
    Pippa listened intently to Peggy’s tale.
    ‘Nightingale knew that some ponies were badly treated and had unhappy lives. It was those ponies that she wanted to come and live on Chevalia. So she invented a magic flying potion. The potion was so strong that it allowed the pony who drank it to fly for ever, provided his or her hooves never touched the ground. And there was more – by drinking the potion, the pony could give the temporary gift of flight to any pony whose nose they rubbed. Nightingale asked me to drink the potion so that I could fly to the human world and rescue any unloved or mistreated pony who wanted a better life. The potion also kept me young, so for hundreds of years I flew around the world rescuing ponies in need and bringing them here to Chevalia. Once they arrive and their hooves touch the land, their wings vanish. Then they’re free to live here in happiness, as every pony deserves.’
    ‘That’s an amazing story,’ said Pippa. ‘What a wonderful job to have.’
    ‘Yes,’ Peggy sighed. ‘I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. But my wings are not as young as they were. When they ache I dream of a cosy stable with a deep, straw bed where I can rest my tired bones.’ She laughed softly. ‘But I still love to fly and help ponies in need. And as long as there are ponies to be helped I shall stay airborne.’
    ‘And I thought you flew because you were too special to walk on the ground,’ said Pippa.
     

     
    Peggy laughed again. ‘No pony is too special to walk and talk with others.’
    ‘It’s a big responsibility,’ Pippa said, full of admiration.
    ‘I made a promise to Nightingale and to Chevalia,’ said Peggy.
    Pippa nodded. She understood. She’d made a promise to help Chevalia too.
    After they’d flown in silence for a while, Pippa said, ‘I have to go back to the Castle soon. Stardust will worry if she wakes up and sees that I’m not there.’
    At once Peggy banked left then headed in a straight line to Stableside Castle.
    ‘Don’t worry, Pippa. I’ll continue searching for the horseshoes from the sky.’
    ‘And I’ll keep searching too – with Stardust, of course,’ said Pippa.
    When they reached Stardust’s turret bedroom, Peggy came to a sharp halt, sending Pippa flying through the air.